It is well known that the neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT), regulate a number of biological processes and that decreased levels of DA, NE, and 5-HT are associated with a number of neurological disorders and their physical manifestations. Significant effort has been expended on devising methods for adjusting the levels of these neurotransmitters in order to produce a desired pharmacological effect. Preventing the reuptake of these neurotransmitters in any combination of one, two, or all three of them is likely to be effective in treating these disorders. Targeting the dopamine transporter (DAT), norepinephrine transporter (NET), and the serotonin transporter (SERT) proteins has proven to be an effective way of increasing the levels of the respective monoamines.
Methylphenidate, currently used for the treatment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, is known to be selective for inhibition of the DAT. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,070 discloses selective inhibitors of the dopamine reuptake as treatments for Parkinson's disease, drug addiction or abuse including cocaine and amphetamines.
Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NARI) have also been disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,986 describes methods of treating attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addictive disorders, and psychoactive substance use disorders with Reboxetine. Also, Atomoxetine (STRATTERA®) is currently marketed as a selective NET reuptake inhibitor for ADHD.
The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) has been shown to be effective in treating depressive disorders. Sertraline, Citalopram, and Paroxetine are well known examples of SSRIs used to treat disorders, such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and panic attacks. There are several known difficulties with the SSRI class of therapeutics, including the slow onset of action, unwanted side effects, and the existence of a significant subset of the population that is not responsive to SSRI therapy.
Selective inhibitors of DAT, NET, and SERT reuptake may also be co-administered with each other or with other drugs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,244 discloses the use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in combination with a serotonin 1A antagonist for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and obesity. The use of a serotonin or norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor in combination with a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,261 for the treatment of ADHD. U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,071 discloses the use of a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor in combination with a norepinephrine precursor in the treatment of obesity, drug abuse, or narcolepsy. U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,741 discloses the use of a NE, DA, or 5-HT inhibitor with either a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist or a serotonin-1D antagonist for the treatment of a wide variety of conditions.
Also advantageous is the use of compounds that inhibit one or more of the neurotransmitters at the same time. The antidepressant qualities of the dual NET and SERT reuptake inhibitor duloxetine is disclosed in European Patent No. EP 273658. Venlafaxine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,186 as a reuptake inhibitor of both NE and 5-HT for the treatment of depressive disorders. U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,675 discloses the use of the dual NE and 5-HT reuptake inhibitor milnacipran for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome. In addition, dual NE and 5-HT reuptake inhibitors are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,083 for the treatment of depression. It is also recognized that compounds which inhibit the reuptake of NE, DA, and 5-HT in varying ratios not specifically mentioned here would also be advantageous.
Treating illnesses by inhibiting the reuptake of all three of the monoamines either through combination therapy or “triple inhibitors” may have clinical benefit as well. Rationale for inclusion of a dopamine enhancing component in anti-depressant therapy includes observed deficits in dopaminergic function, the success of combination therapy with dopamine agonists and traditional antidepressants, and an increased sensitivity in dopamine receptors due to chronic anti-depressant administration (Skolnick et al., Life Sciences, 73:3175-3179 (2003)). Combination therapy with an SSRI and a noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake inhibitor was shown to be more efficacious in patients with treatment-resistant depression (Lam et al, J. Clin. Psychiatry, 65(3):337-340 (2004)). Another study using a combination of a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor reported a significant decrease in depressive symptoms in patients with refractory major depressive disorder who had failed to respond previously to either agent alone (Papkostas, G. I., Depression and Anxiety, 23:178-181 (2006)). In addition, the combination of bupropion-SR with either SSRIs or norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors was found to induce less sexual dysfunction than monotherapy (Kennedy et al, J. Clin. Psychiatry, 63(3):181-186 (2002)). As such, inhibitory activity against DA reuptake, in addition to NE and 5-HT reuptake, is expected to provide a more rapid onset of anti-depressant effect than other mixed inhibitors which are selective for NET and SERT over DAT. PCT International Publication Nos. WO 03/101453 and WO 97/30997 disclose a class of compounds which are active against all three monoamine transporters. Also, PCT International Publication No. WO 03/049736 discloses a series of 4-substituted piperidines, each of which displays similar activity against DA, NE, and 5-HT transporters. Bicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes (Axford et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 13:3277-3280 (2003)) and azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes (Skolnick et al., Eur. J. Pharm., 461:99-104 (2003)) are also described as triple inhibitors of the three monoamine transporters.
Lehman et al., Archiv der Pharmazie, 317(7):595-606 (1984) describes compounds of formula (1) as products of cyclization and reduction of 2-[chloroacetyl(phenyl)amino]benzoates. No biological activity of these compounds was reported in the above-mentioned reference.
(1) R1R2R3HH—CH2C6H5HH-n-C3H7ClH-n-C3H7HCF3-n-C3H7HHH
Misiti et al., Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 8:231-236 (1971) describes the compound of formula (2) as a product of the Schmidt reaction on 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolin-4-ones, followed by reduction. The compound was prepared in order to clarify structural details. No biological activity of this compound was reported in the above-mentioned reference.

There is still a large need for compounds that block the reuptake of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin and treat various neurological and psychological disorders.
The present invention is directed to achieving this objective.